The Friends of the Sunnyvale Public Library will hold a special pre-spring paperback book sale on Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Raynor Center on 1500 Partridge Ave. There will be no bag sales for the event. All proceeds benefit the Sunnyvale Public Library. For more information, contact Robert Harms at 408.736.9128.

New bookstore opens in Bell Plaza Center

The Book Market, a closeout bookseller, has opened a temporary store in the space formerly occupied by Wherehouse Music at 1060 E. El Camino Real, in the Bell Plaza Center. The store will be open for about three to four months and offer a discount of 30 to 80 percent off retail value. Among the many fiction and nonfiction titles, there is an extensive collection of children's favorites. Educational materials are offered at a 15 percent discount for teachers. For more information, visit http://www.book-market.com.


Youth volleyball league is open for sign-ups

The U.S. Youth Volleyball League is taking sign-ups for its spring 2003 season. The eight-week program will begin on April 10 at the field at the Cupertino Library. The $95 cost includes uniform, individual medal and equipment. The deadline to register is March 1.

The volleyball league is an instructional volleyball league that operates in a coed format for boys and girls ages 8­14. The organization's mission is to provide every child with a chance to learn and play volleyball in a safe and supervised environment.

To sign up, call 888.988.7985 or visit http://www.usyvl.org.


Art and essay contest for local youth

The Asian Pacific Fund will offer $27,000 in savings bonds to local students as part of its annual Growing Up Asian in America contest. This year's contest theme is "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Thinking about Older People and the Environment." Bay Area Asian youth can enter the contest by sharing their stories and ideas on the elderly or the environment through art, essays or poetry.

Contest guidelines are available at all Bay Area public libraries as well as online at http://www.asianpacificfund.org.

Now in its ninth year, the art and essay contest is open to students from kindergarten through 12th grade living in Bay Area cities. Contestants compete in three grade categories—K­5, 6­8 and 9­12—for first-, second- and third-place prizes of $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 in savings bonds. The deadline for submitting entries is 5 p.m. on March 7.

Winning entries will be announced at the beginning of Asian Pacific Heritage Month in May.

The Asian Pacific Fund connects donors with community needs. Since its inception, the fund has distributed $1.7 million in grants and awards and supported public education projects such as "Growing up Asian in America."

For more information about the fund, call 415.433.6859.


Local mentoring organization holds annual writing contest

Insight College Prep Centers, a Cupertino-based mentoring organization, is announcing its first annual creative writing contest, Musings of the Mind's Eye. Submissions will be accepted Feb. 15­April 15. The event, co-sponsored by Books Inc., a bookstore in Mountain View, is open to any high school student living in the cities of Cupertino, San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Milpitas. This year's theme is "Vision."

The contest will be divided into two categories: ninth­10th grades and 11th­12th grades. The top three winners in each category will receive a $25 gift certificate to Books Inc., a $50 gift certificate to Insight Centers and the Kepler's Book Prize.

Entries must be short stories less than 1,500 words. Application forms are available at http://www.insightcollege.com. For more information, call Insight Centers at 408.252.5050.